Revealed: The top UK companies for work-life balance

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 29: Fundraisers gather as Goodman Masson broke the Guinness World Record of the largest gathering of 'Peter Pans' in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital at St Paul's Cathedral in August 2014.

Elizabeth Anderson

A recruitment firm has been named the best company in the UK for work-life balance.

Financial recruiter Goodman Masson took first place in the list by jobs site Glassdoor, based on reviews submitted to its website by current and former staff.

The company, which is based in London and also has offices in Dusseldorf, was praised by staff for its “huge investment” in staff benefits and “great” parties twice a year.

“The attention paid to the wellbeing of staff is at a level rarely matched elsewhere,” said an anonymous employee working in the London office.

In second place was technology firm Cisco Systems, and in third place was insurer HomeServe.

West Midlands-based HomeServe, which employs 1,200 people at its headquarters in Walsall and has 2.1 million customers in the UK, was commended for its attitude towards the treatment of its staff.

“The salary is very competitive and you are rewarded very generously for your hard work and just for carrying out your role. The company has a great framework for career progression and is always looking to promote people internally for job roles,” said a water supply engineer working at the firm.

Greg Reed, chief marketing officer at HomeServe, said: “We believe if you take care of your people, they will take care of your customers. This means creating a culture where people genuinely enjoy coming to work every day because they feel what they do really makes a difference in our customers’ lives.”

Temping firm LOLA and Screwfix completed the top five. Other companies in the top 20 included Apple, American Express Lloyds Banking Group, Unilever and John Lewis.

Google is known for its plush offices, but doesn’t make the top 20 companies for work-life balance. Its new London office has sleep pods so workers can take a nap, although perhaps this is an indication of long hours.

For a company to have been considered, at least 50 work-life balance ratings must have been submitted by UK-based employees in the past year.